As is known in the art, electrical cabinets are provided to store a rack of electrical chassis. These cabinets typically have a front pair of spaced vertically extending rails and rear pair of spaced vertically extending rails. The front rails are provided with holes for securing a bezel mounted to the front of the chassis. Different cabinets may have rails of different thicknesses and may have square shaped holes or circular shaped mounting holes.
As is also known, one such application for such chassis is in data storage systems. As is further known, it is common for a purchaser to initially start with a storage system having an initial stage capacity with the expectation that the storage capacity increase over time as business expands. In such case the cabinet may have a few chassis in the rack and rather than have empty spaces visible in the rack, filler bezels (i.e., a bezel without a chassis behind it) are inserted into the spaces where the additional chassis would be mounted in the future. The bezel of the chassis is typically adapted to hook into a receiving hook or clip mounted to the front rails of the cabinet; one such arrangement being described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,193 assigned to the same assignee as the present patent application. Also described therein is a latching mechanism for a bezel adapted to attach to the hook.
The inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to have a universal hook or clip assembly adapted for attachment to rails of different thickness and having either round or square attaching holes. That is, the inventors have recognized that single unit plastic clips for all bezel sizes do not: accommodate square hole/round hole racks; do not accommodate varying rack-rail thicknesses; do not accommodate varying rack hole-to-rail distances; are very difficult to both install and remove; and are not reliably reusable because they are generally loose fitting after the first use.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a filler bezel clip assembly is provided for an electrical cabinet having a chassis mounting rail. The assembly includes: a bezel clip member for disposition on one surface of one of the rail, the bezel clip member having a slot therein; and a wedge bracket member having a forwardly narrowing, tapered surface for insertion into an opposite surface of the rail. The slot receives the forwardly narrowing, tapered surface of the wedge bracket member pivoting the forwardly narrowing, tapered surface against said opposite surface of the rail.
In one embodiment, a filler bezel clip assembly for an electrical cabinet having a chassis mounting rail is provided. The assembly includes: a bezel clip member for disposition on one surface of one of the rails and a wedge bracket member. The bezel clip member has: a slot; a hook for attachment to a bezel; and a first portion of a ratchet mechanism. The wedge bracket member is for insertion into the slot and includes: a tapered surface having a forward, narrower portion of the tapered surface for engaging an opposite surface of the rail; and a second portion of the ratchet mechanism for engagement with the first portion of a ratchet mechanism as the forward portion of the tapered surface slides over the opposite surface of the rail during insertion of the wedge bracket member into the slot.
In one embodiment, the bezel clip member includes posts for insertion into round and square holes in the rail.
In one embodiment, a locking mechanism is provided for locking the bezel clip member to the wedge bracket member, wherein the bezel clip member has one portion of the locking mechanism and the wedge bracket member has another, engaging portion, of the locking mechanism
In one embodiment, one of the bezel clip member and the wedge bracket member has a release mechanism for unlocking the bezel clip member and the wedge bracket member.
In one embodiment, the first type of post is on a first portion of the bezel clip member and the second type of post is on a second portion of the bezel clip member, the second portion being movable with respect to the first portion.
In one embodiment, the hook and the slot project in opposite directions from the rail.
With such an arrangement, the inventors have provided a two-piece assembly having a clip piece and an insertable wedge piece that accommodates round-hole and square-hole rack mounting, provides a tight fit to varying rack-rail thickness, and accommodates varying rack inner rail-to-hole dimensions (distances). The assembly works with square-hole or round-hole racks (both industry standard shapes), makes a tight-fitting clip independent of the rack-rail material thickness, allows varying rack hole-to-rail distances, is easy to installed/remove, and, is reusable.
The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.